canyon courier · 2020-04-02 · public presentation to be given at the september barbeque and...

Contact UsNature Center: 812.829.4344Email: info@friendsmccormickscreek.orgFaceboook: Facebook.com/FMCCSPWebsite: www.friendsmccormickscreek.org

PresidentDennis Goengoend@att.net

Co-Vice PresidentVicki Basmanvmbasman@gmail.com

Co-Vice PresidentMarilyn Jacksonv-president@friendsmccormickscreek.org

SecretaryJudy Mizemapa19191@gmail.com

TreasurerBarbara Filtritreasurer@friendsmccormickscreek.org

Interpretive NaturalistWyatt WilliamsWWilliams1@dnr.IN.gov

EditorCrystal Corpecrystallize6@hotmail.com

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~ Friends of McCormick’s Creek State Park ~

2020 Number 1

Board Members

CANYON COURIER

Editor’s note:I sat down in front of my computer the first few days of March preparing to compile this newsletter. It was about the time the first few cases of COVID-19 were being documented in the United States. I put work on the newsletter aside as we listened and watched in horror as the virus began sweeping across the nation and even into our neck of the woods. I thought to myself… how can I write and print a newsletter as this crisis unfolds and escalates with its illness and death touching our countrymen, friends and family?

Sitting in front of my computer once again as the end of March approaches and “Sheltering in Place”, I’m reminded of a conversation with a Spencer business owner and a FOMC member this past January. He said he always enjoys each edition of the newsletter and reads it front to back each time it arrives. I thought to myself… how can I not create the newsletter! We are barraged with information and misinformation 24/7 concerning the virus. We have been consumed in the moment, which is the way of human survival. I thought to myself perhaps our Members may need a slight distraction, no matter how small and inconsequential. So here is our March newsletter and I hope you, your family and friends stay safe and healthy. We will get through this!

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We also won a couple awards at the 2020 Leadership Conference. Friends' treasurer Barbara Filtri received the Volunteer of the Year 2019 award. Barbara and Giuseppe Filtri were recognized for their time donated to Lieber SRA, Shakamak SP, and McCormick's Creek SP. McCormick's Creek State Park was also recognized for their invasive species management efforts for 2019.

Park management will continue it’s war on invasive species in the year 2020.

Barbara receiving the award from Ginger Murphy, Deputy Director for Stewardship at Indiana State Parks. Also in the picture husband Giuseppe, her most devoted helper and Friends volunteer.

The Friends of McCormick’s Creek have also established a distinguished award to recognize a volunteer of the year from our membership roster. In January, the Volunteer of the Year Award committee convened to determine guidelines and procedures for nominations. You should have received an official form in the mail. Please contact us if you did not receive it. We’ll need to have the forms returned to us and postmarked by June 1st. The committee will announce the award winner at the August meeting with a special public presentation to be given at the September Barbeque and Blues event.

FOMC Volunteer of the Year Award

McCormick's Creek staff recently traveled to Pokagon State Park for the 2020 Leadership Conference. A lot was learned from presentations given by peers from the Arkansas State Parks system, Shafer LeadershipAcademy, and many more. The photo right is of DNRrepresentatives from across the state and the staff of the Potawatomi Inn.

McCormick’s Creek Wins Awards!

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2020 First Day Hike Photo Winners

Ashley Keller Krystle Cocadiz

Winter Postcard 2nd place winners...

First Day Hike 2020What a gloriously warm January day to be outdoors, enjoying nature and friends!

We experienced a record attendance with a count ofnearly 500. Folks were given an option to hike to the falls or a short walk to the old quarry off of trail 2. A heart felt thank you to the Canyon Inn staff, for their impeccable hospitality, and to the Friends of McCormick's Creek who came to help and support the event.

Winter Postcard Winnerby David Lee

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Marcy M.Kids Focus Winner

It’s always difficult for the judges to choose a winner with so many great photos. Thank you all, for coming and participating, and thank you to an anonymous donor, The Exotic Feline Rescue Center and WonderLab for providing the prizes!

Marci King

Spirit of the Day Winner

Kyle Hooker

Spirit of the Day 2nd Place

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Karsts and CavingAlthough I typically don’t place myself in locations that intensify my fear of confined spaces (claustrophobia), I have on occasion, in my youth, gone caving in southern Indiana. The caves were mostly “commercial caves” with designated paths, lighting and tour guides and contained none of those tight, squeeze and crawl on your knees areas!

I’ve lived most of my life in the northern flat farmlands of Indiana. Moving to southern Indiana was eye-opening with two very distinct kinds of landscapes formed by glacier movement millions of years ago. Southern Indiana has a notable landscape feature called Karst. Karst terrains common features include springs, sinkholes, caves, and sinking or disappearing streams. My husband and I became aware of the disappearing stream when we purchased property near the park. We had what appeared to be a small stream but rarely any water standing. Only after a heavy rain did the stream run and we couldn’t determine where the water flowed or emptied. After learning of the Karst topography we now understand the uniqueness of our little stream and that it flows directly into the groundwater system at a feature called a "swallow hole." We still haven’t found the swallow hole but hopefully some day we will!

Southern Indiana’s landscape is dotted with numerous Karst caves as well. Our own Wolf cave at McCormick’s Creek and the caves at Spring Mill are both in the type locality of the Karst Mitchell Plateau. These caves are easily accessible to the public. Two years ago I challenged my claustrophobia by walking through Wolf cave with the company and encouragement of DNR naturalist Barbara. This last fall I was fortunate to be invited to explore a cave on private property near the town of Gosport. Barbara, Giuseppe, Wyatt, Bruce and I followed our guide and veteran spelunker, Bill Greenwald, to the cave opening. I must admit it was amazing. The cave had a wide opening at the entrance with a beautiful waterfall plunging 30 feet into a valley stream. However, I did let my fear of caves and the unknown get the best of me. I sat outside taking photographs while the others explored the secret gem. I deeply regretted missing out on the adventure when the novice cavers returned with huge smiles on their faces!

I had intended to take the month of March and tour as many commercial caves as possible and report to our readers the qualities and uniqueness of each cave. Perhaps by the end of the summer I will be able to take those excursions and give you full accounts. Here are a few of the caves I hope to visit: Wyandotte Caves, Marengo, Indiana Caverns, Bluesprings Caverns. If you have recently visited any or all of these, please let me know your thoughts and experience!

There are many more caves on public and private property yet to be discovered and explored. Our DNR naturalists at the park are searching for hidden caves within the park boundries. Although any found caves may never be accessible to the public, it’s important to learn all we can about our park and record its natural features for future generations.

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White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an infectious disease associated with a recently identified fungus (Pseudogymnoascus destructans) responsible for unprecedented levels of mortality among hibernating bats in North America. WNS is named for the white fungal growth that invades the skin tissue on the muzzle, wings and ears of cave-dwelling bats during winter hibernation. The disease was first noted in New York in 2006 and has since spread unchecked to 33 states and seven Canadian provinces . The fungus that causes WNS has been found in three additional states. Twelve different bat species , including three federally endangered and one threatened, have been affected by WNS or exposed to the fungus. The disease has caused the death of an estimated 5.7–6.7 million bats across eastern North America with estimates of mortality often exceeding 90 percent in caves that have experienced multiple years of infection.

Scientists and biologists throughout North America are working diligently to understand the fungus, how it affects bats, and how it might be controlled. While the prolific white fungal growth on the bat’s muzzle may be the most striking sign of infection, it’s their wings that may be the most injurious target. During hibernation, the large surface area of a bat’s wings performs critical physiological services such as regulating the animal’s body temperature, water balance, and gas exchange with its external environment. These life processes, which are vital to survival, are disrupted when healthy wing tissue is digested by the invading fungus. Consequently, the hibernation of WNS-infected bats often includes a number of harmful behaviors that appear to be triggered by their inability to regulate essential metabolic activities.

• WNS was first detected in Indiana in January 2011 during routine winter hibernacula surveys conducted by Division of Fish & Wildlife bat biologists.• By the end of that first winter, the disease had been found in six caves in Crawford, Monroe and Washington counties.• During the following winter, bats exhibiting sign of WNS infection were observed in or reported from 20 additional caves that included six new counties (Greene, Harrison, Jefferson, Lawrence, Martin and Orange).• Disease surveillance during the 2012-13 winter resulted in WNS detection from nine more caves that included one new county (Jennings).• Two caves and one new county (Vermillion) were added from WNS surveillance during the 2013-14 winter.• One cave in Jefferson County was added during the 2014-15 winter.• WNS is widely distributed throughout much of the karst region in south-central Indiana and locally established within most of the state’s major concentrations of important bat hibernacula.

What’s Killing Our Bats?I’ve placed information from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources below concerning the White-Nosed Syndrome (WNS). WNS is the fungal disease killing bats in North America. Research indicates the fungus that causes WNS, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, is likely an exotic, introduced from Europe.

Big Wyandotte Cave is home to one of the largest populations of hibernating bats in Indiana. Nine of the 12 species of bats known from Indiana have been observed at this cave. You’ll see in this article that bat populations across the board have been declining due to the fungus. Research and studies continue and they are noticing some bats are healthy and surviving in small fragments of original populations. They appear resistant to WNS and scientists are paying close attention to this data!

Progression of WNS in Indiana

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For nearly 30 years, Wildlife Diversity biologists in Indiana have conducted population counts of hibernating bats every other winter. This biennial schedule minimizes disturbance but still provides important information needed to monitor the status and health of the state’s bat populations. At present, there are 21 WNS-affected hibernacula in Indiana that have long-term winter bat population counts. The impact of WNS can be assessed by comparing the last count before the disease was detected in a particular site (2009) to its most recent count (2017-2018). In these sites, the total population of all species combined has dropped from about 220,315 bats in the latest pre-WNS winter to 182,306 in the most recent post-WNS winter, a decline of about 17 percent. The impact of the disease, however, appears to differ by species. Using the same approach, biologists have tallied the following numbers for Indiana’s most common winter bat species:• little brown bats: 89 percent decline (from 6,873 in latest pre-WNS winter to 743 in most recent post-WNS winter)• tri-colored bats : 91 percent decline (from 1,163 in latest pre-WNS winter to 100 in most recent post-WNS winter)• big brown bats: 47 percent decline (from 238 in latest pre-WNS winter to 125 in most recent post-WNS winter)• Indiana bats: 15 percent decline (from 212,041 in latest pre-WNS winter to 181,338 in most recent post-WNS winter)

Battle For Bats: Surviving White Nose Syndrome This video was produced for the USDA Forest Service by Ravenswood Media. It shows how government and private agencies have come together to search for solutions to help our bat populations overcome WNS. The public can also play a role in the future of bats by providing habitat and surveying their populations. Bats are a critical component in a healthy forest ecosystem, plus they provide significant agricultural pest control and pollination. Their survival is essential for a sustainable natural environment.https://vimeo.com/76705033

Important Information:

The Amphibian Outing and our Wildflower Weekend events have been cancelled.

The YMCA spring race is cancelled and will be combined with the Fall Race.

The April Friend’s meeting has been cancelled. We will post on Facebook and send emails to members about the May meeting and any other changes that may occur.

Please follow our Facebook page for any additional changes that may take place.

One constant in our lives right now…Mother Nature! She is open and waiting for you when you need to refresh, reboot and rejuvenate body, mind and soul!

On the following page is a list of open and closed places within DNR properties at the time of this printing.Please Check for updates on the park’s FB page or the DNR website.

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Outdoor activities, and travel to and from those activities, are still permitted. This includes hiking, biking, fishing, boating, birding, hunting, camping, geocaching and other self-directed legal activities. Hoosiers should practice social distancing while participating in these activities. It is important that youknow before you go.

What's open

All DNR properties including state parks, state forests, fish and wildlife areas, nature preserves and state recreation areas.

Entrance fees at all properties have been temporarily suspended.

Families will be able to go outside and take a walk, run or bike ride, but they should continue to practice social distancing by remaining 6 feet away from other people. Entrance fees at properties have been temporarily suspended.•Campgrounds - OPEN but advance reservations are required. No walk-in camping (camping without a reservation) is permitted. For those who would prefer to cancel or reschedule due to COVID-19, we are committed to waiving fees for cancellations or transfers of reservations and to issuing refunds as requested for campsites held through April 30, 2020. This time frame may be extended as the COVID-19 status evolves.•Indiana DNR-managed lakes, trails, campgrounds, boat ramps and wildlife areas at Brookville, J.E. Roush, Salamonie, Mississinewa, Cecil M. Harden (Raccoon SRA), Cagles Mill (Lieber SRA), Patoka and Monroe lakes remain OPEN. However, public facilities managed directly by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at or below the dams at these lakes (tailwater areas, observation mounds, etc.) are CLOSED.•Vault toilets and modern restrooms where available are OPEN. Campground comfort stations will be OPENED on our normal schedule as spring progresses and property use changes. Contact properties directly for specific information. Open restrooms are cleaned and sanitized regularly.

What's closed •All property offices - CLOSED.•Passes and permits can be purchased online at ShopINStateparks.com. Property maps are available online. Office contact information will be provided on doors for those who have specific questions.•State park inns and restaurants - CLOSED.•Family cabins and camper cabins - CLOSED.•Playgrounds, fire towers, and other similar facilities - CLOSED.•Welcome Centers, Nature Centers, Historic Buildings and Visitor Centers, Forest Education Centers - CLOSED.•Shooting ranges - CLOSED.•Shelters, recreation buildings, and other enclosed picnic areas - CLOSED.•State Park Inn pools and the aquatic center at Abe Martin Lodge - CLOSED.•All group camps, youth tent and rally tent areas - CLOSED.•The DNR Customer Service Center in downtown Indianapolis is CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC but is still available by telephone.

The following information comes directly from the Indiana DNR website.

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The unexpected always happens in the wayThe unexpected has always occurred:While we are doing something else,While we are thinking of altogetherDifferent things – matters that eventsThen show to be every bit as unimportantAs our human concerns so often are;And then, with the unexpected upon us,We look at one another with a sort of surprise;How could things possibly turn out this wayWhen we are so competent, so pleasedWith the elaborate systems we’ve created –Networks and satellites, intelligent machines,Pills for every eventuality – except this one?And so we turn again to face one anotherAnd discover those thingsWe had almost forgotten,But that, mercifully, are still there:Love and friendship, not just for thoseTo whom we are closest, but also for thoseWhom we do not know and of whomPerhaps we have in the past been frightened;The words brother and sister, powerful still,Are brought out, dusted down,Found to be still capable of expressingWhat we feel for others, that precise concern;Joined together in adversityWe discover things we had put aside:Old board games with obscure rules,Books we had been meaning to read,Letters we had intended to write,Things we had thought we might sayBut for which we never found the time;And from these discoveries of self, of time,There comes a new realisationThat we have been in too much of a hurry,That we have misused our fragile world,That we have forgotten the claims of othersWho have been left behind;We find that out in our seclusion,In our silence; we commit ourselves afresh,We look for a few bars of songThat we used to sing together,A long time ago; we give what we can,We wait, knowing that when this is overA lot of us – not all perhaps – but most,Will be slightly different people,

In a Time of DistanceBy Alexander McCall Smith

General MeetingsPlease join us on the 2nd Tuesday of eachmonth at the Nature Center 6pm for ourmonthly meeting. Enjoy a pot-luck styledinner, snacks and fellowship. Monthlyspecial guest speaker or activities are planned.We hope to see you there!

Board MeetingsBoard meetings are open to all members. These meetings are held at the Nature Center on the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 4pm just prior to the monthly meeting.

The mission of the Friends of McCormick’s Creek State Park is to develop and support projects and events that help preserve, restore, manage and interpret the natural and cultural heritage and recreational opportunities of McCormick’s Creek State Park.

MISSION STATEMENT

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